Ginobili earns All-NBA third-team honors

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili put together an impressive enough season to earn All-NBA honors for the second time in his career.

Spurs forward Tim Duncan, though, fell off the All-NBA roster for the first time in his 14-year career.

Ginobili, who was limited in the playoffs after he sprained his right elbow in the final game of the regular season, was a third-team selection.

He averaged 17.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.54 steals in 80 regular-season games. He was also a third-team All-NBA selection in 2007-08, when he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award and became the first non-starter ever to make an All-NBA team.

“I’m thrilled for Manu,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Thursday.

“He had such a wonderful season and really came back strong after a tough playoff loss the year before.

“He came back really committed and strong. As a starter he really set a tone for us and as our closer all year long, in a variety of different situations. It’s a great tribute to him to have that respect shown, and I know he appreciates it tremendously.”